Hockey stick blade and method of making the same

Abstract

A wooden hockey stick blade having a slot formed in its bottom edge and a wear strip disposed within the slot and extending along its bottom edge. The invention also involves a method of making a hockey stick blade by forming a slot in a bottom portion of the blade woodstock and disposing a strip of wear resistant material in the slot.

We claim: 
     
       1. A wooden hockey stick blade comprising: a wooden body having a wooden blade portion including a toe end, a heel end, top and bottom edges and front and back sides;   an elongated slot formed in said wooden blade portion between said front and back sides, said slot being open to and extending along said bottom edge between said toe end and said heel end and having a depth extending from said bottom edge toward said top edge, said wooden blade portion including a wooden side portion on each side of and defining said slot and a wooden top portion between said slot and said top edge; and   an elongated strip of wear resistant material disposed within said elongated slot, each of said side portions including a lower edge portion which, together with a portion of said elongated strip form said bottom edge as a continuous, uninterrupted surface extending between said front and back sides.   
     
     
       2. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said blade portion has a height dimension defined by the distance between said top and bottom edges and wherein said slot depth is greater than about 10% of said blade portion height. 
     
     
       3. The hockey stick blade of claim 2 wherein said slot depth is greater than about 20% of said blade portion height. 
     
     
       4. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said slot extends substantially the entire length of said blade portion from said heel end to said toe end. 
     
     
       5. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said wear resistant material is an epoxy material. 
     
     
       6. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said body includes a handle connecting portion. 
     
     
       7. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 in combination with a hockey stick handle. 
     
     
       8. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said wooden blade portion comprises a single piece of wood. 
     
     
       9. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said elongated strip is a wear resistent plastic material. 
     
     
       10. The hockey stick blade of claim 1 wherein said slot includes substantially parallel, spaced side walls. 
     
     
       11. A method of making a wooden hockey stick blade comprising the steps of: providing a blade woodstock having a woodstock toe end, a woodstock heel end, a woodstock top edge and a woodstock bottom edge;   removing a portion of said blade woodstock along said woodstock bottom edge to form an elongated slot in said woodstock bottom edge between said woodstock toe end and said woodstock heel end wherein said slot includes a pair of opposed wooden side walls facing one another and said blade woodstock including a wooden side portion on each side of said slot to define said side walls and a wooden top portion between said slot and said woodstock top edge;   disposing an elongated strip of a wear resistant material in said slot; and   forming said blade woodstock, with said strip disposed in said slot, to a desired size and configuration of a hockey stick blade having a blade toe end, a blade heel end, blade top and bottom edges and blade front and back sides, wherein said bottom edge is a continuous, uninterrupted surface extending between said front and back sides and said bottom edge is comprised of a portion of said blade woodstock side portions and a portion of said strip.   
     
     
       12. The method of claim 11 including connecting said blade woodstock to a handle portion. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of forming said blade woodstock includes shaping and sanding. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 11 wherein said woodstock includes a height dimension and wherein said step of forming an elongated slot includes forming said slot to a depth greater than about 10% of said woodstock height. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 14 wherein said slot depth is greater than about 20% of said woodstock height. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 11 wherein said disposing step includes introducing a flowable form of a wear resistant material into said slot and allowing said wear resistant material to harden. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 16 wherein said flowable form of a wear resistant material is an uncured resin and after introduction includes the step of curing said resin. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 11 wherein said disposing step includes inserting a preformed strip of wear resistant material into said slot. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 11 wherein said blade woodstock is a single piece of wood. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 16 wherein said woodstock includes a height dimension and wherein said step of forming an elongated slot includes forming said slot to a depth greater than about 10% of said woodstock height. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of forming said elongated slot includes cutting said slot.